Not Alone
by keepcalmandshiptiva94
Summary: Oneshot. His heart ached briefly for her, and he met her eyes. "Didn't want to be alone tonight?" Tag to 9x24. Tiva friendship, hinted romance.


Because I can't help myself after the finale. (for my other fandom followers, I changed my name from whatever it was. I can't even remember. Anyway, Best Punishment Ever will be updated soon, I promise. I just got caught up in NCIS lately and haven't had time or energy for anything else)

* * *

Ziva winced as consciousness slowly came back to her. Something had hit her on the head during the elevator's rocky descent. Probably a ceiling tile. She blinked, trying to focus. The elevator was dark. Really dark. She closed her eyes, her head feeling every single pulse of blood that flowed through her body. But at least that meant she was alive. Her brain focused.

_Tony._

He was still underneath her, and he wasn't moving. Her eyes focused enough to see that his own were closed. They'd linked hands somewhere during the fall, and his was slack in hers. She squeezed his hand. "Tony." her voice sounded strange. She cleared her throat. "Tony." she spoke more firmly. His arm was slung across her back, and hers was pinned between his body and the elevator wall. She shimmied it out, wincing. She reached up to touch his face. "Tony."

Worry enveloped her. Her heart suddenly felt as if it were in her throat. "Tony, wake up."

She felt for a pulse, and feeling one, she crossed the most important worry off of her list. She called his name again, louder. "Tony! Wake up."

She sighed, and almost jumped when he spoke. "Why do you always end up on top of me?"

She laughed, a dry, relieved laugh, and squeezed his hand. "Are you alright?"

"Mild concussion, maybe. Sprained wrist? I don't know, maybe it's just twisted a little." His grip on her waist was back. "You?"

"Something hit my head, but I do not believe I have a concussion. My arm will be sore, and I may have a few injured ribs."

"Nothing that we can't handle, ninja. Nothing we can't handle. Glad you're okay." He said quietly, squeezing her hand.

She nodded. "I am also greatful that you are okay."

* * *

Ziva sighed, her body still aching from being thrown around in the elevator with Tony. She risked a glance over at her partner, who was being checked on for a concussion. They were sitting side by side on the back of an ambulance. Neither of them had spoken since being pulled from the elevator only a few moments earlier.

He caught her eye, and smiled sadly. She returned his sad smile, watching two men carry a covered gurney out of the partly destroyed buliding. She looked back at Tony, and their eyes whispered the same thing. _I am so glad that is not one of ours. _

McGee and Abby had both been transported to a hospital for stitches they needed because of glass. Gibbs had refused medical attention, declaring he was fine. Ziva responded to the light being shined in her eye one last time, and nodded at their order. Sleep and pain killers.

Tony's concussion was mild, so they prescribed him some pain killers as well and told them they could go. Gibbs walked up, eyeing them.

"You two okay?"

Ziva nodded. "Tony has a very mild concussion, and I have a few broken ribs. We both sustained some bruises, but we are fine."

He nodded, and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Go home, Ziver. Get some rest. You, too, DiNozzo. And remind me when your head gets better to slap you for taking the elevator."

Tony smiled slightly. "Got it, boss."

They both walked to their vehicles, which thankfully were far from the blast. They both looked back only once at the destruction that was the NCIS building.

* * *

Tony sighed, collapsing on his couch after a nice hot shower. He still felt lousy. He had to wait another hour before he could take more pain killers, and he would have liked some then, but orders were orders.

A knock on his door startled him. He stood, waiting a moment for his brain to catch up to his body, and walked to his door, already having a hunch as to who was on the other side.

He was right, of course. He opened his door to see Ziva standing there, wearing the same thing she had been wearing earlier in the day, her hair in the same mess it had been when he last saw her. She looked miserable.

His heart ached briefly for her, and he met her eyes. "Didn't want to be alone tonight?"

She shook her head, her chin trembling. "Zi." he whispered. "Hey, come here."

He walked forward, wrapping his arms around her. She clung to him automatically, trying to control the sobs racking her body. He rubbed his hand up and down her back. "Shh." he murmured into her hair.

She calmed slightly. "That was our home, Tony." she sounded twenty-five years younger than she was. He kissed her head out of instinct, smiling when she didn't seem to mind.

"I know."

He held her like that for another moment, until she had calmed, and then he pulled back, keeping her close. He reached up to wipe away the tears on her cheeks. "Movie?"

The ghost of a smile graced her lips. "Which one?"

"You pick."

"Okay."

"Popcorn?" he asked, smiling.

She shook her head. "Alright."

"And hey, after you've picked the movie, you can go change into some of my clothes. You know where they are."

She nodded, and he left for the kitchen to get the popcorn. When he returned with a bowl approximately five minutes later, she was sitting in the middle of his couch,ned slightly, wearing one of his old t-shirts and a pair of shorts that he knew were rolled up ten times or more, her legs tucked beside her.

He sat the bowl down in her lap and took a seat beside her, taking note of the beginning credits of Pirates of the Caribbean playing on the screen. "Nice."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't make me hit you, DiNozzo."

He pointed at his head. "Concussion."

"Shut up." she said, but the tone in her voice was far from hateful. It was almost admiring, and he smiled, grabbing a bite of popcorn and turning his attention to the movie.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her glance at him, and then slowly, as if to judge his reaction, she laid her head on his shoulder. He leaned his head on hers, reaching over to touch her knee. "You okay, ninja?"

She turned to look at him, her chin resting on his shoulder. "Not really." she said honestly, "But I will be. Thank you for letting me stay here tonight."

He picked up his arm and wrapped it around her, his lips finding the top of her forehead as she leaned into him. "You're welcome." He whispered, and though he tried to think of something else to say, words escaped him.

But he knew that at that moment, she didn't need words. She just needed reassurance that she wasn't alone.

He tightened his grip around her, and she leaned into him, and he felt that strange sense of connection that he often felt where she was concerned, because at that moment, strangely, that was all he needed, too.

Just reassurance that he wasn't alone.

And he wasn't.

And he had a feeling he never would be.

**bleck. really, I don't care if it was awful. I just need something to occupy my mind until the finale, and I honestly just see her going over to his place in the aftermath of everything, because she doesn't want to be alone. I just see it. **

**Anyway, review if you want. **


End file.
